Search - Agua De Annique :: Air

"The hardest thing in the world is to speak my fears... I am

Clarissa Bowen | Ontario, California USA | 04/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't know what the story behind Anneke's departure from The Gathering is but after hearing AIR with her new band, Agua de Annique, I'm sure glad she made the change. With the exception of SOUVENIRS I was never too wild about The Gathering to begin with, but female vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen kept me coming back for more. She has to have one of the most darkly angelical voices I've ever heard, and the great thing about her is that she doesn't sound like anyone else.



With The Gathering I often felt as if the musicians were trying to overshadow her voice like it was a constant battle or something, but with Agua de Annigue her glorious voice is more in the forefront and blends in perfectly with the slightly avantgarde alterna-rock melodies.



There's not one bad song on here. It took a few spins to grow on me but once it got a hold of me it wouldn't let go.



I especially love "Beautiful One", "My Girl", "Come Wander With Me", "Sunken Soldiers Ball", and "Lost And Found"."

Great Album

Erik | South Bend, Indiana United States | 12/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was sad when I heard that Anneke had left The Gathering which is my favorite band.

I really love this album though. It is a lot like the last Gathering albums.

If you like The Gathering you will like this. The track Lost and Found is great.

I hope The Gathering find somebody equally as good as Anneke for their next album."

You save the world from me, I wonder who will be left over

incubus1 | 03/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't think I'll be in the minority when I say that Anneke's sudden departure from The Gathering was both shocking and saddening. Sure, in the statement issued by the band and Anneke it said she was leaving to pursue different creative outlets, but I was fully expecting to never hear from her again...a huge blow to me since she's my favorite female vocalist.



Few times am I happy about being proven wrong, but this was one of those instances.



Agua de Annique IS NOT The Gathering. Plain and simple. Sure the music is great and all, but The Gathering's compositions had the ability to leave you speechless. However, the band backing the fabulous Anneke is amazing, just not compared to her previous band. One listen to Witnesses will leave you with a certain comfort to know, without a doubt, Anneke is back.



Air is a really interesting CD, lyrically. Per the liner notes in the booklet:



"When I look at the stewardess, I admire those qualities that I do not own myself...She inspires me to be myself."



She goes on to say,



"The Stewardess is the ambassador of Agua de Annique and the album Air."



Who would've thought you could write a CD--one as great as this at that--solely about stewardesses? Color me impressed.



As for the songs, even for the Anneke lover in us all, it will probably take a few detailed listens to fully appreciate the intricacies of each song. Much like her releases with The Gathering, Air is best when listened to the entire way through. The cohesiveness of the entire record is something to behold. The ONLY downside I can think of is that since the CD moves so well as one, it's hard to distinguish favorites. That's a petty complaint though. The few songs that will grab you immediately, and hold you, are Witnesses, Ice Water, Trail of Grief, and Asleep.



Ultimately, Air is one of those CDs you can put on at about any time and let it play all day and you'll never tire of it. That in and of itself is a huge accomplishment nowadays and Anneke seems to do it with everything she's involved with. With a voice as gorgeous as hers though, does that really surprise you? Highly recommended."